Typewriting machine



June 22 1926. 1,589,461

C. M. CREWS TYPEWRITING MACHINE Filed Oct. 19, 1922 ters.

Patented June 22, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CLARENCE LYZ. CREVS, 0F BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOB TO UNDERWOOD TYPE WRITER COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

TYPEWRITING MACHINE.

Application filed October 19, 1922.

This invention relates to typewriting machines, and more particularly to typewr ting machines especially adapted for the writing of bills for telephone service, in which operation i is required to type separately the amounts of United States taxes. The invention, however, is useful for other purposes.

Typewriting machines have been espec al- 1y designed for writing telephone bills, wherein special 5 and 10 keys are provided to be used exclusively and invariably for writing the tax items, and a register is provided for each of the special keys to count its operations, or to separately add the items written by it. By referring to the totals exhibited by the registers at the close of the day, the operator is enabled to as certain readily the total amount of the tax items for the day.

In the course of operations covering an extended period, the operator will inevitably make mistakes in the writing of these bills, either by striking one of the special keys by writing the same items twice, or by omitting items which should be written on a bill. If the mistake consists of an omission or duplication of items, the bill must be rewritten, and the one in which the mistake was made must be destroyed. lhe items written by the special keys are added into the registers when the defective bill is written. If they are again added in when the bill is correctly written, this duplication of items will result in erroneous totals being exhibited by the regis- A feature of the present invention is the provision of means whereby the operative connections between the special number-keys and the registers may be interrupted to permit the special keys to write without operating the registers when corrections are being made.

Another feature of the invention is the provision, for each key, of means settable by the operator to interrupt the connection between the key and its register to cause a d number of operations of the key to be ineffective to operate the register, and to cause the operative connection between the key and register to be automatically re-established when the key has been operated the desired number of times. WVhen a mistake is made which necessitates the erasure Serial No. 595,496.

of a number written by one of the special keys, or the destruction of a bill having items on it which were written by the special keys, the operator needs only to set the connection-controlling mechanism of a register to omit operation of that register while items are written by its key equal in number to the number of such items which had to be erased or destroyed. In this way, the correct totals are caused to be exhibited b the registers at the conclusion of the writing of the corrected bill, without further attention from the operator.

The device for setting the connection-controlling mechanism bears index-numbers and is operated with the connection-controlling mechanism, so that it will always indicate the condition thereof. The operator, by referring to the setting device, may determine the condition of the connectioncontrolling mechanism, and thus avoid setting it for correction withouttaking into account a previous correction setting which has not been followed by a suflicient number of operations to re-establish the operative connection of the key and register.

Other features and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation of the front portion of an Underwood typewriting machine, showing the present improvements applied thereto.

Figure 2 is a sectional front elevation of a portion of the machine, showing a special key, its connections to a register, and the mechanism for controlling the connections.

Figure 3 is a "iew similar to Figure 2, but on a larger scale and with a portion of the mechanism broken away.

Figure 4. is a detail plan view of a portion of the register-operating connections and the means for interrupting the connections.

Figure 5 is a sectional side elevation of the mechanism shown in Figure 4.

For the purpose of illustration, the invention is shown applied to a machine of the kind disclosed in the application of Adolph G. Kupetz, Serial N 0. 592,682, filed October 6, 1922 (now Patent No. 1,559,889, dated Nov. 3, 1925). A machine of this kind comprises the usual keys 11, which depress key-levers 12 to operate bell-cranks 13 to throw type-bars 14 up to strike rearwardly against a platen which is mounted upon a carraige (not shown). In addition to the usual number-keys and the usual alphabetkeys, there are provided special keys marked 5 and 10, preferably at the right-hand end of the keyboard, of which the 5 key is shown at 5. There are mounted on the machine two registers, one of which is shown at 15, which are, in general, of: the type of the well-known Veeder cyclometer. Each comprises number-wheels 16, an arm 17 for operating the number-wheels and aregister-clearing fingenpiece 18. These registers are operated, respectively, by the special 5 and 10 keys.

To enable the 5 key to operate the register 15, there is connected to the keystem a pendent link 19 to drive down a rocker-arm 20, which is rotatably mounted upon a rock-shaft 21. A pawl 22 pivoted on the rocker-arm 20 is pressed by a spring 23 into engagement with a single toothed wheel 24 fixed to the rock-shaft 21. At its outer end, the rock-shaft is connected to the operating arm 17 of the register through a crank-arm 25 and a link The operating arm 17 operates the register 15 to count on the up stroke, and is normally maintained at its upper limit of movement by a tensionspring 27 connected to the tail of the open ating arm and to a bracket 28 on which the register is mounted, whereby the register is normally maintained in a locked condition, as explained in the application above referred to.

The pawl '22 and toothed wheel 2 1- are normally in the positions shown in Figure 1. When the number-key 5 is depressed, the rocker-arm 20 is rocked clockwise, and, through the pawl 22 and toothed wheel 24;, actuates the rock-shaft 21 to cause the operating arm 17 of the register 15 to be drawn down. hen the number-key 5 is released, the parts resume their normal positions, and, during this return movement of the parts, a unit is run into the number-wheels of the register 15.

For the purpose of interrupting the con nections between the rocker-arm 20 and the rock-shaft 21 when desired, to permit the number-key 5 to be depressed without actuating the register1nechanism, a guard 29 is provided for moving and maintaining the pawl 22 on the rock-arm 20 out of engagement with the toothed wheel 24:- This guard 29, which consists of an annular flange on a wheel 30 rotatably mounted on the rock-shaft 21, has a series of ratchetteeth 31 upon its periphery, and has a gap which is somewhat wider than the space between successive ratchet-teeth. The guard is connected through a sleeve 32 and gears 33, 34;, 35 and 36 to a guard-setting device 37 consisting of a large wheel 38 bearing on its periphery a series of numbers and an arrow to indicate the direction in which the wheel is to be turned by the operator, and a smaller knurled knob 89 for turning the wheel. The register 15 and the connections between the register and the number-key 5 are mounted on the bracket 28 which is connected to the frame of the machine by screws 4:0. An extension 41 of this bracket supports the right end of the shaft 21 and the guard-setting device 37. The guard-settinodevice is located suificiently far to the rig it to be visible to the operator in his normal position at the machine.

lVhen the operator discovers that he has made a mistake, which necessitates the rewriting of a bill, he will count the number oi fives in the tax column of the defective bill and turn the guard-setting device 37 in the direction indicated by the arrow of Figure 3 until such number comes opposite the pointer. The guard 29 will be rotated by this movement in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Figure 5, to lift the pawl 22 away from the toothed wheel 2 1, and is shown in Figure 5 in the position it will occupy when the number on the guard setting device is opposite a pointer 12. With the guard in this position, actuation of the special 5 key to write a number will not rock the shaft 21, but will turn the guard approximately through a tooth-space. A spring-detent 13 co-operates with the teeth of the gear 33 for preventing retrograde movement of the guard, and for a further purpose to be presently explained. it will be seen that successive operations of the number-key 5 will progressively advance the guard 29 and that the setting device 37 will be advanced with it. After the seventh operation of the key, following the placing of the guard in the position of Figure 5, the pawl 22 in its retracting movement will drop off the guard and again come into co-operative relation with the toothed wheel to reestablish the normal connections between the special 5 key and its register 15. The parts, including the setting device 37, will then occupy the positions in which they are shown in Fig ures 1 and 2.

The guard 29 is provided with a short ledge 4: 1 in the rear of the last tooth of the guard to support the pawl 22 and thereby render the last tooth effective. It is desirable when the normal connection is established between the pawl 22 and the rock shaft 21 to maintain this ledge 14: beyond the reach of the pawl, so that the guard may remain idle. F or this reason, the parts are so designed that the pawl 22'when moving the guard 29 will advance it a little less than a full tooth-space, and the remainder of the tooth-space feeding movement will be accomplished by the pressure of the detent as against a tooth of the gear 88. The number of degrees on the guard 29 allotted to each ratchet-tooth 31 obviously must be a multiple of the number of degrees on the gear 33 allotted to each gear-tooth.

The number of operations of the numberkey during which the re ister may be maintained in an inoperative condition may be greatly increased by increasing the number of teeth on the guard and correspondingly reducing the angular movement of the pawl 22. This reduction of the pawls movement may be accomplished, without affecting the operativeness of the machine, by altering the relative lengths of the arms 20, 25 and 17, or in any other suitable manner.

Variations may be resorted to within the scope of the invention, and portions of the im rovements may be used without others.

aving thus described my invention, claim:

1. In a typewriting machine, a typeprinting key, a normally active register operable by the key to count typed impressions, and means to predetermine variably an inactive interval for the register where successive operations of the key will print and not register.

2. In a typewriting machine, a type-printing key, a normally active registeroperable by the key to count typed impressions, means to predetermine variably an inactive interval for the register where successive operations of the key will print and not register, and means automatically operable at the end of the predetermined inactive interval to restore the register to its normal state to count.

3. In a typewriting machine, a numberkey, a register, a rock-shaft connected to the register to operate it, a rocker-arm connected to the number-key to be reciprocated by it, a pawl carried by the rocker-arm ar ranged to effect a driving connection between the rocker-arm and the rock-shaft, a guard for holding the pawl out of co-operative relationship with the rock-shaft, and means on the guard co-operating with the pawl for progressively moving the guard toward a position to permit the driving connection between the rocker-arm and the rock-shaft to be reestablished.

4-. In a typewriting machine, a numberkey, a register, means connected to the register to operate it, driving means connected to the number-"key for reciprocation by it comprising an element movable into and out of driving relationship to the registeroperating means, a guard for holding the element out of driving relationship to the register-operating means, means on the guard co-operating with the element to move the guard to cause the driving connection between the driving means and the register-operating means to be re-established.

5. In a typewriting machine, writing mechanism, a register, means connected to the register to operate it, driving means connected to the writing mechanism for re ciprocation by it and normally forming an operating connection between the writing mechanism and the register-operating means, a guard movable into position to interrupt said connection, and means on the guard for causing the guard to be mover. to inoperative position by the driving means.

6. In a billing typewriting machine, a number-writing key, a register for counting the operations of the number-writing key, to compute a multiplicand to be multiplied by the number written by the key to tetermine the total amount of the items written by said key, comprising register-operating connections including a pawl and a ratchet-wheel between the number-writing key and the register, and means for con trolling said connections, so that the operation of the register may be interrupted to compensate for items written by said key which subsequently have to be erased or destroyed, to cause the total exhibited by the register to correspond to the actual amount to be received as a result of the items written.

7. In a typewriting machine, a numberkey, a register operated by the number-key, operating connections between the numberkey and register, manual means for variably breaking the operating connections to predetermine an inactive interval for the register, and means for automatically 1e establishing the connections at the termination of the inactive interval.

8. In a typewriting machine, a numberkey, a register normally connected for operation by the number-key at each operation thereof and connection-controlling means adjustable automatically to suspend operation of the register during a desired number of operations of the number-key and to cause operation of the register to be resumed at the termination of such number of operations of the number-key.

9. In a typewriting machine, a numberkey, a register operated by the number-key, a reciprocating pawl connected to the num ber-key and operated by it, a rock-shaft connected to the register, a toothed wheel fixed on the shaft and normally operatively engaged by the pawl, a toothed guard. for moving the pawl out of co-operative engagement with the toothed wheel, and an indexed guard-setting device for setting the guard to bring a selected tooth into cooperative relationship with the pawl.

10. In a typewrit-ing machine, a numberkey, a register operated by the number-key, register-operating connections between the number-key and register, a guard for interr g, weaselrupting the connections, and an indexed guard-setting device for determining the duration of the interruption.

11. In a typewriting machine, a numberkey, a register operated by the number-key, register-operating connections between the number-key and the register, an interponent for suspending the operation of the register by the numbenkey, and an indexed handle for indicating the number of oper ticns of the member-key during which the operation of the register will be suspended.

12. In atypewriting machine, a numbe key, a register operated by the. numbenkey, register-operating connections between the number-key and the register, means for suspending the operation of the register by the key movable step by step by the numbenkey to a position to permit the operation of the register to be resumed, and an indexed setting; ClfilCB for the register operation, suspending means movable with said means to indicate always the number of operations of the number-key required to cause the operation of the register to be resumed.

13'. In a typeivriting machine, a numberkey, a register operated by the munber-key, register-operating connections between the number-key and the register, and means for suspending the operation of the regis ter by the number-key comprising a guard arranged to be interposed between elements of the register-operating connections, manual means for setting the guard, connections between the guard and the setting means, and a detentacting on 1 connections for determining the exact position to which the guard Will be moved.

l l. In a typewriting machine, a numberlrey, a register, means connected to the reg ister for operating it, a reciprocating member connected to the number-key for operation by it and normally co-operating with the register-operating means to cause reciprocation thereof, and a guard arranged to be interposed between the reciprocating member and the register-operating means and to be advanced step by step by the reciprocating member when so interpose l to reestablish the normal cooperative relationship between the reciprocating member and the register-operating means.

15. in a typewriting machine, numberkey, a register, means connected to the register for operating it, a reciprocating member connected to the number-hey for operation by it and normally co-operating th the register-operating means to cause re .iprocation thereof, a guard arranged to be interposed between the reciprocating mem ber and the register-operating means and to be advanced step by step by the reciproeating member When so interposed to reestablish the normal co-operative relationa FAQ.

ship between the reciprocating member and the registenoper-ating means, and means for controlling the number of said steps.

16. In a typewriting machine, a numberkey, register, means connected to the register for operating it, a reciprocating mem-- ber connected to the number-key for opera tion by it and normally co-operating with the register-operating means to cause reciprocation thereof, a guard. arranged to be interposed between the reciprocating menr her and the register-opcrating means and to be advanced step by Step by the reciproeating member when so interposed to reestablish the normal co-operative relationship betwoen the reciprocating member. and the register-operating means, and means movable in unison with the guard and bearing index numbers to indicate at every stage of the operation of the machine the number of steps that the guard must be moved before the normal co-opcrative relationship between the reciprocating memher and the register-operating means will be rte-established.

17. in a typewriting machine, a type printing key, a normally active register operable by the key to count typed impressions, and means to render the register inactive to count, including connections, actuated by the key to variably and auto: matically predetermine the inactive period for the register.

18. In a typewriting machine, a typeprinting key, a normally active register operable by the key to count typed impressions, manually adjustable means to render the register inactive to count, and means actuated by the key to automatically restore the register to its normal state to count at the end of the predetermined inactive perio l 19. In a typewriting machine, a typeprinting key, a normally active register operable by the key to count typed impressions, manual means to condition the register for an inactive interval of variable extent, and means actuated by the key to automatically restore the register to its normal state to count at the end oi the predetermined inactive interval.

20.1n a typewriting machine, a typeprinting key, normally active register operable by the key to count type impressions, manual means to condition the register for an inactive interval of variable es:- tent, and means intermediate the register and key that may be manually-adjusted in one direction to predetermine an inactive interval for the register, and be actuated in a reverse direction by the key to automatically restore the register to its normal state to count.

CLARENCE M. CREWS. 

